Julia Shearsby

Most of my ministry life has been spent teaching in theological colleges. They are a wonderful world in which to serve. You’re part of a rich fellowship of other faculty, staff and students. You’re in an academically stimulating environment. You’re teaching what you love. Your classes are full of (mostly) committed, godly and gifted men and women who want to be trained for ministry. Who’d ever leave such a world? Well, I did over ten years ago.

Tale of Two Trials A Few Good Men. The Practice. To Kill a Mockingbird. Hollywood sure does have a lot to answer for my former career as a lawyer. Sadly, my legal career was spent mostly in cramped windowless offices as opposed to the courtroom. The one time I did enter a courtroom though during work experience in Year 10, the one thing I was told repeatedly was to bow to the judge. Even as a 15 year old, it was very clear who was the judge in the courtroom and who was on trial.

It was in response to repeated parenting-related prayer requests that a woman in my Bible study said, “You need to read Paul Tripp.” My immediate thought was, “Well that ship has sailed! I’ve already baked-in the problems in our family from my parenting failures.” But I kept my cynicism to myself and accepted her suggestion. I felt a mixture of panic, sadness and relief as I read Parenting: The 14 Gospel Principles that can Radically Change Your Family.